Dog Flu in the Bay AreaJust a few months ago, Canine Influenza Virus hit Northern California with intensity, causing 413 positive cases to be identified before Valentine's Day, ranging from the San Francisco Bay Area to Reno, Nevada. This created a flurry of activity among veterinarians, ...By Mona Miller, DVM

Two new movies open this week in OrindaThe Orinda Theatre will be screening two new movies on Thursday with an advanced showing of "Deadpool 2" at 7 p.m. "Deadpool 2" is the sequel to the 2016 Twentieth Century Fox blockbuster hit "Deadpool." Ryan Reynolds, who received a Golden Globe nomination for the ...By Derek Zemrak

Youth Ink ceremony 2018The Orinda Junior Women's Club, which organizes Youth Ink, an annual creative writing contest open to all sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students who live in or attend school in Orinda, sponsored by the Orinda Community Foundation, Friends of the Orinda Library and ...Submitted by Chantal Valentine

Cal Shakes summer conservatory at Saint Mary's CollegeIt is a match so perfect that one would wonder why it did not happen sooner: a summer Shakespeare Conservatory led by Cal Shakes on the beautiful grounds of Saint Mary's College. The theater company brings the experience of years of teaching youth Shakespeare during ...By Sophie Braccini

Talking with children about raceThe best way to talk about race with your children begins with a conversation with yourself. The self-speak must include close examination aimed at stripping the cover off a person's choice of friends, social media habits, knowledge or ignorance about the history or ...By Lou Fancher

Wagner Ranch musical opens June 1Wagner Ranch Elementary School will feature the ogre-iffic antics of Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Lord Farquaad, as well as all the hilarious fairy tale characters that will come to life during the spring musical production of "Shrek Jr." Friday, June 1 through Saturday, June ...Submitted by Kim Tarantino

The Peter Pan Foundation makes a difference through music and serviceThe Peter Pan Foundation is a nonprofit group in Lafayette, whose mission is to spread light, love and joy every day throughout the Bay Area at a dizzying pace, like when 10 princesses knocked on the door of a little girl with cancer, just to host a tea party to ...Submitted by Gina Campo

Acalanes musical educator set to retireRevered music instructor Norm Dea, who worked 35 years in the Acalanes Union High School District, will retire at the end of this school year. Instead of answering the bell in August on the first day of school, he will be vacationing in Kauai.By John T. Miller

Learning farm to table techniquesLike keepers of the secrets to survival, a small percentage of students at Miramonte, Campolindo and Acalanes high schools are connected to garden projects where they learn the rudiments of seed production, cultivation and harvesting of food. By John T. Miller

'Avengers: Infinity War'The movie that has been in the making for over 10 years is now in theaters: "Avengers: Infinity War." Marvel Studios and Disney have produced 18 previous Marvel films to develop the storyline and characters for each of the superheroes. After two earlier Avengers ...By Derek Zemrak

Wedding in the Aegis gardenFor the first time ever, a wedding was celebrated in the courtyard at Moraga Aegis. It was not residents getting married, however, but Marketing Director Molly Gleason-Kodama who wed during a perfectly simple and touching Buddhist ceremony where all the residents were ...By Sophie Braccini

College Advisor
One of my specialty areas is graduate and professional school admissions and I work with many high school and college students who are hoping to one day attend medical, dental or vet school. For this short article, let's look more closely at medical school adm ...By Elizabeth LaScala